The Accusation in Corinth
Corinth.
It was the hometown of Oedipus, a place that had once left me in absolute shock, and now, along with Messenia, Arcadia, and Achaea, it stood as one of the small poleis nestled in the Peloponnese.
Last time, I had only stayed briefly at the Great Temple of Aphrodite on the distant Acrocorinth before leaving. A cascade of events had erupted one after another, and only now had I finally managed to stop by.
“Cheonsal (Heavenly Killing Star)...? So, you’re telling me you used some crude sorcery to alter a human’s innate destiny?”
“To be precise, I deceived that destiny.”
With the techniques of Sinyjaegwi (Reincarnation of the God) and eyes that had once glimpsed the Heavenly Principles to invert the natural order, combined with the divine power I now possessed to intervene in those very principles—it was not impossible. Though it was a bit tricky to mend destiny with ancient arts in this Greece, where the celestial gates were wide open and the underworld was baring its teeth, it was far from impossible.
“Especially when the destiny is as fixed and hardened as Oedipus’s, unraveling it is even easier.”
“By Nyx, to think you’d say it’s easy to manipulate a destiny set in stone by the Oracle of Delphi...”
“You can’t catch or kill a ghost, but a squid? It might be squishy, but you can cook it however you like.”
Come to think of it, I remembered a time when raw squid had been presented to me as a rare delicacy. The sight of it had terrified everyone, including the Four Heavenly Kings, but I had been thrilled to have a new snack for my liquor. I’d grilled it, fried it, and sliced it into sashimi, enjoying a wonderful drink.
“A squid?”
“I’m talking about those little baby krakens.”
“...What on earth do destiny and ghosts have to do with squids?”
Eris looked at me with an expression of pure disbelief, but since it wasn't a metaphor I’d put much deep thought into, I just let it slide. The Cheonsal entangled with Oedipus had simply reminded me of a mass of tentacles, and the words had just popped out.
“Anyway, destiny isn’t entirely set in stone. Once it becomes firm enough to have a clear flow and context, it’s not impossible to use it to our advantage.”
In this world, where the gods and the heavenly energy had descended to earth, using the Sinyjaegwi technique was akin to using a satellite phone designed for the harsh deserts or jungles inside a modern military base equipped with high-end satellite antennas.
“And my divinity has bloomed properly, and there haven’t been any reports of a massive scandal in Corinth that would make Zeus faint, so I thought it would be fine. And as expected, it seems to have worked out well.”
“Hmph, what are you looking at with such a satisfied face? Do you even know how many minutes we’ve been waiting?”
Eris and I were currently sitting on a white horse, waiting for our turn.
“Ah, don’t push! Do you have any idea what I’m carrying here!?”
“Ho ho, my apologies. This donkey of mine hasn’t been listening to me lately...”
“Wine! We have wine! How about a glass of cool wine!”
Outside the gate leading into Corinth, having just exited the Acrocorinth mountain range. Being mixed in with the crowd of merchants, pilgrims, and travelers on horseback, it felt strange, as if I had truly become an ordinary traveler.
‘Is this how agents feel when they change clothes and hide in spy movies?’
Ordinary stories that had nothing to do with me flowed by like the wind. Like the refreshing scent of grass or the sudden, nostalgic smell of earth, I found myself unwittingly drawn into the noisy, trivial atmosphere filling the air, chatting away with Eris.
“How is it, Eris? Watching humans not from the sky, but from the ground, at the same eye level?”
“Hmm... how should I put it.”
Eris was looking at a group of women standing slightly ahead of us. Judging by their light attire and the rose necklaces around their necks, they seemed to be returning from a visit to the Temple of Aphrodite up above.
“I heard it’s true that the High Priestess of Acrocorinth is pregnant!”
“What?! Lady Desiepina is with child?! Who’s the father?!”
“I don’t know. But since she prays faithfully before the statue of Aphrodite every single day, it must be a beautiful and strong man.”
“Maybe it’s a child of a god?”
-Hahaha!
Gossiping excitedly about common rumors seemed to be a universal phenomenon, regardless of time or place. Eris was observing them intently as they laughed and chattered endlessly about who was dating whom or who was pregnant.
Just then, a familiar name caught my ear, and I was about to lean in to listen when Eris suddenly tilted her chin and snorted.
“Hmph, I can’t understand it at all. It’s not a story about any god or hero. Why are they so happy just because the priestess of that promiscuous Aphrodite is pregnant?”
“Isn’t that what gossiping is all about?”
“They aren’t jealous about it, nor are they plotting anything. It’s boring!”
Eris turned her head away with a huff, but I didn’t miss the subtle emotion lingering on her face.
‘Is this... envy?’
Honestly, this was unexpected. A goddess who enjoyed discord and conflict, longing for ordinary conversations like other women—or to be precise, longing for the relationship of friends?
‘This is... a bit pitiful.’
To be fair, Eris wasn’t the type to make friends, even among other goddesses. A friend for a god who flew across the heavens and the underworld, scattering discord and conflict? It was like a kraken jumping out of the sea to go on a pilgrimage.
Judging by my past conversations with her, her only friends for thousands of years were probably Ares and a few of his sons. Her siblings were all workaholics, so only Lady Nemesis would play with her...
“Wh-what? Why are you staring at me like that?!”
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Wh-what?”
“Hmm, you must be thirsty. Hey, give us two glasses of wine!”
“Yes! Here you go! That’ll be one Athenian copper coin!”
I paid the hawker who approached us with a smile and pressed a glass of wine into Eris’s fumbling hands.
‘Poor thing...’
To have spent thousands of years as an involuntary outcast, only causing trouble. If I had been born as a troublemaker and ostracized everywhere, I would have triggered something like the Trojan War a few times myself.
‘Anyway, these Greeks—if a child goes astray, they should embrace them properly. Just ignoring them is why these disasters happen.’
Perhaps because I, too, was experiencing the relationship of siblings for the first time, I found this bond—connected by blood rather than emotion—to be more cumbersome and annoying than I’d thought, yet not entirely bad. I didn’t know about Lady Nemesis, who seemed like a perfect superhuman, or rather, a goddess, but Eris, who clung to me and pouted, now seemed a bit pitiful and sad.
Well, it was half her own doing. But I had become quite soft during my time living in Greece to coldly push away a goddess who called me family, called me her brother, and relied on me like this.
Even if she hadn’t been much help, it was Eris who had helped me solidify the way I used my powers. Let’s consider this a reward for that.
“Eris.”
“Y-yeah?”
I leaned toward her ear and whispered quietly, just in case anyone else heard. I felt like I finally understood why this goddess, whom even Zeus feared, had come down to me and insisted on joining my journey.
“Even Zeus, who acts as the agent of Greece’s laws and natural order, isn’t always diligent. And Apollo, who is supposed to be in charge of Olympus’s reason, is a total scoundrel. Just because you’re the goddess of discord and conflict, doesn’t mean you have to spend your whole life causing trouble, right?”
“...S-so?”
“While you’re with me, don’t be Eris. Hmm... yeah, Erina. Let’s live as my attendant, Erina. Not as the goddess of discord and conflict, but as a human woman named Erina, my attendant. How about it?”
“....!”
At my suggestion, the dull, crimson pupils that looked like pools of blood—the ones staring at me—sparkled like beautiful jewels for a fleeting moment. They were still syrupy and blood-colored, but that light was like a gem. A cursed jewel that would surely bring a terrible fate if touched, yet one you would eventually set and wear on your head, your ears, or your neck.
I swear by Nyx. I never dreamed that discord and conflict could look this cute. Truly.
“What is that...”
“Dianes! Is that Dianes?!”
Just as Eris was stammering, trying to answer, a voice rudely interrupted, and sparks flew from Eris’s eyes.
“What are you...”
“A snow-white horse. Black hair. That pathetic face! It’s Dianes, alright!”
What is this now? How should I put it—he was a man with a look as vile as a rat in an outhouse. Behind him, soldiers who appeared to be from the Corinthian army were armed with murderous intent, glaring at me. For some reason, from the rat-like man to the soldiers, their hostility was immense.
“It’s been a while, Dianes.”
“Do you know me?”
I’m sorry, but everyone I’ve dealt with so far has been top-tier, so it’s not easy to remember an ordinary human like this unless they’re as capable as Peleus. Besides, if the grudge were deep enough to harbor such blatant hostility, I would have nipped it in the bud long ago, wouldn’t I?
“My name is Phryssus, the younger brother of King Phrybus who rules this Corinth! Dianes, as of this moment, I am arresting you on charges of attempting to assassinate the King of Corinth!”
....What?